LOOKING UP: Cold out but worth an extra layer (Medfield Press)
What a great way to begin the New Year. Celebrating the long, dark and cold nights of winter, we don our scarves and caps- some fresh from under the Christmas tree, and head outside under the stars. While most of the sane population this time of year is snug in bed with an extra comforter or finding a good old fashioned jigsaw puzzle or novel in the warmth of your home, likely a scant few ...

Why are the white pines dying? (Everett Herald)
Sharon Collman's quest for answers started at her childhood home. There, in Shoreline, 60 years ago, her mother planted a tiny Western white pine sapling that would grow strong and sure until a few years ago, when it inexplicably began to die.

Bats with disease come back to area (Bennington Banner)
Thursday, January 8 DORSET — Dorset and Strafford area residents have reported bat sightings in recent weeks, when the nocturnal flyers are supposed to be hibernating. Affects Northeast bats The unusual behavior is being caused by White Nose Syndrome, a mysterious affliction that is devastating bat populations in the Northeast, according to Scott Darling, a bat biologist with the

Thrashers Shut Out Devils 4-0 (CBS 46 News Atlanta)
Kari Lehtonen made 29 saves to record his first shutout of the season and 12th ofhis career, as the Atlanta Thrashers downed the New Jersey Devils 4-0.

First Lady signs for memoir (Albany Times Union)
First Lady Laura Bush has sealed a deal worth millions with Scribner to publish a memoir that will encompass her recollections of personal and historical moments, including her eight years in the White House.The publishing house, in announcing the agreement on Monday, said the memoir is expected to be released in 2010. Sally McDonough, Bush's press secretary, declined to say how much Bush is ...